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Matea Peček

Multicultural Literature in English

Sanja Runtić, Associate Professor

May 9, 2019

The Act of Bravery as a Character Development Tool in Pilkington’s Follow the Rabbit-

Proof Fence, Ihimaera’s Whale Rider, and Thomas’s The Hate U Give

In literature, and even in real life, bravery is almost always seen as an act in which one

risks their own well-being in order to do a greater good. When the act of bravery is done, the

character gets recognized and treated differently by the people surrounding them. The

protagonists from Pilkington’s Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence, Ihimaera’s Whale Rider, and

Thomas’s The Hate U Give become changed and developed through their courageous acts. Be

it Kahu’s sacrifice to save her village, Starr’s sacrifice of her reputation in order to save lives

in the future, or Molly’s brave deeds to save her relatives, one thing is certain – these acts

change them. This essay will try to show in which ways bravery changes the main characters

of those works.

Doris Pilkington’s Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence is a novel which deals with a great

act of courage. Molly, who was still only a child, turned out to be a smart and dependent

character in the face of difficulties she had to endure. She decides to risk her safety and bravely

lead her sisters back home while encouraging them the whole way: “Molly kept reminding

them to be brave and to conquer their fears” (Pilkington 71). In doing so, she grows from a

child that everybody rejected to a savior and a leader. Being rejected hurt her when she was

little: “As she grew older, Molly often wished that she didn’t have light skin so that she didn’t

have to play by herself” (Pilkington 38). Nonetheless, her dexterity and determination made

her into a person whom others depend on. The role of a leader, which she chose to take upon
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herself, had many hardships, but it turned out to bear success regarding their escape; She

follows the rabbit-proof fence back home despite the people after them and all the surrounding

wasteland. That proves how this brave decision transformed Molly from a child to a mentally

grown up person ready to do anything for the people she loves.

Another brave central character is Starr from Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give. At

first, she is confused teenager who feels as if she did not belong anywhere. She acts differently

at home than she does at school, mainly because she is afraid to be discriminated by her

schoolmates based on her race: “. . . Williamson is one world and Garden Heights is another,

and I have to keep them separate” (Thomas 29). She is even insecure about her relationship

because of the fact that her boyfriend is white: “As white as Chris. I flinch and snatch away”

(Thomas 50). However, the turning point in the novel is the brave act in which she disregards

her reputation and stands against the discrimination. She takes part in a protest for her friend

and freely speaks to the crowd while rebelling against the police. Filled with courage in that

important moment, she speaks her feelings about her deceased friend in front of everybody,

even her boyfriend. By that, she chooses to be herself and shows that in front of everyone. She

bravely stands up against injustice, stating her opinion: “I scream at the top of my lungs, hoping

Khalil hears me, and chuck it back at the cops” (Thomas 269). As a result, Starr’s courageous

actions change her perception on things. She comes out of her shell in front of people she cares

for, and in return gets accepted by them, all of it by bravely fighting for justice.

One more brave protagonist is surely Kahu from Witi Ihimaera’s Whale Rider. This

bold little girl blossomed in her grandfather’s eyes from an annoying child to a real hero. Ever

since she was born, her grandfather has rejected her because she is a girl: “I will have nothing

to do with her. She has broken the male line of descent in our tribe” (Ihimaera 12). Yet, that

does not stop her from loving him and trying to appear as best as she can to fulfill his

expectations of his heir: “. . . she’s hungry for him, the old paka. Hungry for his love” (Ihimaera
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21). Nevertheless, when the decisive moment comes, she acts courageously with a single goal

of saving everyone; She risks her own life by moving the stranded whales back in the water,

thus saving both the whales and her people: “If the whale lives, we live. These were the only

words Kahu could think of” (Ihimaera 61). This is not an act of a selfish desire to be loved, but

an act of pure love for her culture and her grandfather. At that moment she becomes not only a

Whale Rider but also a true hero of her tribe. By that, she becomes recognized by her

grandfather: “You’re the best grandchild in the whole wide world,’ he said. ‘Boy or girl, it

doesn’t matter” (Ihimaera 71). Accordingly, Kahus’s daring deed not only changes her own

life for the best by giving her the respect she deserved but also enacts a profound transformation

in the character of her grandfather, Koro Apirana, as well as the whole Maori community

To sum up, Kahu, Starr, and Molly prove to be brave in the face of hardships they come

to face. They courageously stand for themselves and others by setting aside every selfish desire

and make a significant sacrifice to help others. Molly proves to be a dependable leader and not

a rejected child; Starr becomes accepted by showing who she really wants to be; Kahu gets

acknowledged by the person she admired the most. In conclusion, all of them act bravely when

it is needed and that experience changes them. This also makes a difference in the eyes of the

people surrounding them because these protagonists gain the deserved admiration and

acceptance.
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Works Cited

Ihimaera, Witi. Whale Rider. Reed Books, 1987.

Pilkington Garimara, Doris. Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence. U of Queensland P, 2001.

Thomas, Angie. The Hate U Give. Balzer + Bray, 2017.

EXCELLENT! WAY TO GO!